This started out as an attempt to restore two Royal Enfields in 18 months, which I could have done but for loss of two months due to a medical issue, so I'm concentrating on getting one of the bikes completed by the original target date, with the second to be done within the following 6 months. Sorry.

About Me

Saturday, February 19, 2011

No News is Good News?

As I promised, I'm not updating this blog on a daily basis. I don't have time for it.

But I haven't been ignoring my project.

What I learned when I restored my BMW R69S and my BSA 441SS "Shooting Star" was that the only way to finish a restoration in a timely fashion is to do something on it every week, if not every day, no matter how little you can get done sometimes.

So, since I last updated this blog, I've been sorting and cleaning parts. The goal being to decide what's good enough to use without major re-working, what I can sell off to help finance this adventure, and what's just plain junk.

Don't expect pictures of me removing spokes from wheels, knocking old wheel bearings out of hubs or washing parts. I'm not going to waste my time taking pictures of every single thing that I do. (I don't want to get my camera dirty, or waste even more time, cleaning up so I can touch it!)
I will post pictures of significant items as they're finished. It's going to be awhile before I need to bring the camera out to the garage!

I've taken apart two rear wheels in the last couple of days. One with a 19 inch rim that will work for the Indian, and one with an 18 inch rim for the interceptor. Both rims can be used after a good cleaning with WD-40 soaked steel wool.
The hubs will require careful cleaning, and maybe some polishing.
The one with the 19 inch wheel had a Dunlop Trials Universal tire on it that's probably been there since 1960. It was so hard, I thought it still had air in it!
Getting it off was simple. I used my Sawzall. Cut all the way around it, with the blade facing up. Once it was split, I worked the inner tube out of the way. Whoever put that tire on really did a lousy job. The tube was pinched under the rimlocks, and also for about half the circumfrence of the rim, the tube was pinched under the bead of the tire on one or both sides. Great job.
After cutting the tire in half, I used a dremel tool with an abrasive disk to cut the wires in the bead. Waited for my wife to leave the house for an errand so I wouldn't have to explain why the garage was full of burned rubber smoke.
For the wheels, my next major step will be a call to Buchannan's to order some stainless steel spokes. First real money to be spent. About $100 per set x 4 sets.